A Deeper Understanding
by Cherrycoffycake
Summary: Christine has finally chosen. But she abruptly realises that she knows not even the name of the man she loves. After earning his trust, Christine asks him one painful question. She needs to know. She needs to know everything from the Phantoms past. He must uproot and relive those painful Buried memories of so many years ago, and finally, all three can look to the future together.
1. Chapter 1

Anxiously, he waited on the wing, his eyes fixated on his beloved. The curtain was still closed, but would drop at any moment. He noticed the pesk vicomte as he paced the other wing, a grimace plastered on his ragged features. His Angel stood in between, centre stage, glancing between the two. A troubled look crossed her eyes, bewildered and confused. Unsure and indecisive.

The Phantom, who remained frozen, was desperately trying to read her every thought by her eyes. Oh, yes. Her Angel could read her emotions so well. He knew if she was upset, if she was trying to hide her sadness, or if she was even unsure whether not to be upset. He could tell if she was happy, excited, content, or if she was nervous or anticipating. All at a glance. But tonight there were so many emotions, so many thoughts swirling around in her head, it was impossible to keep track. He was trying to predict if she would sing for him and stay with him, or leave him to live out the rest of his pathetic life alone and depressed, to sum it up. He was just about to give up and just go back to hoping against hope, not unlike the imbecile across the way.

Said imbecile was at the moment frowning and cursing at the ground. The Phantom was quite efficient in lip reading, as sometimes it was the only way to pick up vital information about the going ons of the theatre. But, the fop was muttering non-sense, so after scowling at the man, the Phantom shifted his eyes back to his Christine.

But then, there was something else. Something smaller than a sliver of an emotion creased her brow. Suddenly this sliver of an emotion grew. Like she had, in her mind, stumbled upon a whole new prospect. As if she had suddenly uncovered a remarkable revelation. And no more than a few seconds later, the vicomtess raised her chin, a curve on her lips, a new spark in her eye.

The Phantom didn't get time to ponder this new spirit in her eyes, when he was snapped from his thoughts as the curtain was called.

The curtain pulled back to reveal a beautiful young woman with swirling auburn hair cascading over the shoulders of an elegant royal blue dress.

She then proceeded to open her lips, and the purest sound one could imagine escaped from somewhere between them. These sounds were then weaved into a mesmerising, pure and unearthly melody, that when all the precious sound had left the Angels lips in that sacred last drop of pure heaven, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. There was a pause as everyone absorbed the euphoric finale, in shock, before the place erupted in applaud and standing ovations. But no one could have been more shocked, nor in such a state of awe and indeed, extacy, than the Phatom.


	2. Chapter 2

Christine gazed at the standing crowd. A sea of smiling faces congratulating her, praising her, and to Christine, they seemed to be commending her for her choice. As if she had finally chosen the right one. To her, they were relieved that she had chosen the Phantom over Raoul. As if they were now at peace with the idea that she would now live happily ever after. Christine could not keep the smile from her face as she took a slight courtesy. She then turned to look to the right, offstage. Her love was gazing at her with smouldering eyes full of such pride and adoration. She had never before seen anyone look at her with such an intensity of pride since her father passed. She suddenly felt the urge to run right offstage and envelope him in her embrace and shed her pent up tears of joy onto his shoulder as he whispered praise into her ear. Yes, she could tell that she had made the right decision as she turned to him, she had definitely made the right decision for once. She had never felt that way with Raoul when- Raoul! She had completely forgotten about him!

His Angel. His beautiful Angel turned tohim, such passion in her eyes. She took a step towards him. The Phantom had to restrain himself from running onto the stage to meet her-

Suddenly she stopped and looked at the masked man with a shocked expression, her eyes distant. Mr. Y's large grin slowly sank into a puzzled frown. Christine then turned from him and stared in the opposite direction. The Phantom Followed her gaze to the left wing, then he saw where her eyes must have fallen, and his eyes turned dark. The real Phantom in him threatening to come out.

His Angel stared at the Vicomtes blank expression. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his jaw, glaring at her with great distain. Christine, empathy present on her features, closed her eyes and slowly, sadly, shook her head.

The Vicomtes nostrils flared, and he stormed in the opposite direction, out of sight. Christine quickly glanced at the settling audience, feigned a smile and quickly raised the hem of her dress off the floor and scurried off to the left of the stage after a heartbroken Raoul.

"Raoul! Raoul, wait! I'm sorry!" She called out, not aware of what exactly she was sorry for, but it felt like the right thing to say to lure a brooding Vicomte out of his hiding place. She turned franticly and came face to face with Raouls glare, and she jumped back with a start. "What do you want now!" He bellowed at her. Christine had to pause for a few second to come up with a response. "I just want to say how sorry I am for putting you through this. For-!" She began. "Enough! I don't want to hear it! You made youre choise! Now stick with it! I don't want anything more to do with you!" He roared, enraged, as he made his way closer to her."Do you understand!?" He shouted, as he made to harshly shove her from him.

The Phantom had been observing from the shadows, realising that Christine needed to say goodbye and make clear to him that she would not be returning to him. Yet he kept his eyes fixated on Raoul the whole time prejudging his every move, poised to strike or step in at any moment if things got out of hand with the drunken fop. He would let nothing harm his Angel. And he chose this instant to intervene.

Christine had only enough time to brace herself before she would be sent crashing to the ground as Raoul slammed into her. She closed her eyes and tensed, but the blow never came. Instead heard a muffled thump and opened her eyes.

Raoul had had enough. That little leech had taken ten years of his life and suddenly when he had lost his fortune, she jumps into the arms of her beloved demon. He had had enough. He made to shove all his weight against her, but he only had time to register that he was suddenly out of sight, when he slammed into something solid and unwavering.

The Vicomte gasped and looked up into the piercing glare of the devil himself. Fear flashed across his features, but was quickly drowned by rage. There was a silent stand off between the two. Raoul breathing heavily through clenched teeth glared up at Mr. Y looking ready to explode, and Mr. Y stared down at him with an unnerving stillness that only he could master.

Christine, empowered by the presence of her Phantom, took a deep breath and broke the tens ion between the two men before they began hurling abuse and remarks between eachother. "Raoul, go." She said in a strong voice, to which he looked at Christine with disgust. "Gladly." He replied, sarcasm and loathing dripping from each syllable.

He then glanced back at Mr. Y once more, who had averted his eyes, signifying he had no further interest in what the man before him may say, not like he had any to start with. But Raoul spoke anyway. "I hope you know that I will be back, and I will make you pay for corrupting her mind." He seethed at the Phantom. To this, Mr. Y looked at him incredulously, and snorted. "You dare try to harm her and I will hunt you down, and most likely kill you." He said so casually, he could have been commenting on the weather. Raoul scowled then roughly shoved past him, heading towards the entrance to Phantasma.

When he was finally out of sight, the two could breathe again.

Christine was the first to move. She threw herself into the arms of her love, and sighed. She hadn't the energy to cry, and even if she did, she didn't know whether she would cry tears of joy, or grief. "Oh, thank you, if you hadn't been there I don't know what he might have done, oh-" She stopped.

Do you really think I would have left you unguarded with that-" He began in a tender voice, only to pause when he caught sight of Christines bemused, and amused face.

"Angel, what's the matter?" He asked carefully. Her expression puzzled him. It was as if she had suddenly that a solution to an unknown problem was staring her in the face. She looked annoyed at herself for not realising how obvious it was, yet a little amused that she had not seen It before.

"I-I don't really know how to ask you this, but… I mean I really can't believe I don't know- But then again should I have know? It's hard to say-" She began debating with herself the best way to ask this strange question.

"Christine, my Dear, you can ask me anything you like." The Phantom prompted. Christine looked up at him, a strange glint in her eye, an unidentifiable thought. "Anything?" She asked. "Anything." He confirmed.

"Ok, then." She began. She took a deep breath and smiled at him, still in his embrace.

"Oh, Opera Ghost, Mr. Y, Phantom, Angel of Music." She leaned in closely to him, as if to tell a secret, and whispered lovingly. "What is your name?"


End file.
